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DISA Names Teresa Pitts as New Chief of Staff
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DISA Names Teresa Pitts as New Chief of Staff

Teresa Pitts, formerly civilian deputy at the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) operations center, has been named the new chief of staff of the agency. 

She took over the role on Nov. 8th and now oversees DISA’s budget planning, policy implementation and workforce management as well as external and internal communications initiatives, the agency said Tuesday.

Pitts brings 30 years of experience holding operations and staff leadership positions across the federal government. She previously served as chief of staff at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the White House Communications Agency.

In her most recent role as civilian deputy for the operations center, Pitts supported the deployment of the Department of Defense Information Network for global operations. 

Her appointment comes after DISA announced a reorganization plan to create four centers for digital capabilities and security, hosting and cloud computing, operation and infrastructure and enterprise integration and innovation.

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Navy to Test Boeing-Built Unmanned Tanker Prototype Onboard George H. W. Bush Carrier
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Navy to Test Boeing-Built Unmanned Tanker Prototype Onboard George H. W. Bush Carrier

The U.S. Navy has deployed its Boeing-built unmanned refueling tanker prototype to the USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier for at-sea testing, USNI News reported Thursday.

Rear Adm. Andrew Loiselle, Navy’s air warfare director, told the publication that the tests will help evaluate the MQ-25A Stingray-based T-1 prototype‘s performance in relevant flight deck wind conditions.

Upcoming activities with the T-1 will follow up overland exercises refueling three of the Navy’s fighter aircraft and, according to Loiselle, will help reduce risks with the tanker program.

The admiral described the unmanned prototype as an important part of the Navy’s efforts to expand the range of its operations, with an eye toward keeping up with the evolving threat environment in the Indo-Pacific region.

He suggested that T-1 could perform not just transport of around 15,000 pounds of fuel 500 miles away from a U.S. carrier but also other naval missions beyond the aircraft’s initial requirements such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance trips.

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NASA Opens Doors for New Flight Directors Supporting Human Spaceflight Missions; Holly Ridings Quoted
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NASA Opens Doors for New Flight Directors Supporting Human Spaceflight Missions; Holly Ridings Quoted

NASA has announced new job openings for flight directors that will lead human spaceflight missions from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

The space agency said Friday that it is looking for candidate U.S. citizens qualified to oversee future trips of astronauts to the International Space Station, the moon under the Artemis program and Mars.

Interested applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics with professional experience making decisions in high-stress and high-risk environments, among others.

“We need NASA flight directors who are technically excellent, humble, and creative to lead historic missions for humanity,” explained Holly Ridings, chief flight director at Johnson.

The agency will announce in spring of 2022 the candidates, who will then undergo training on flight control, spacecraft systems, operational leadership and risk management. NASA will accept applications until Dec. 6th.

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DARPA to Explore on-Site Food Production Based on Microbial Science
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DARPA to Explore on-Site Food Production Based on Microbial Science

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched an effort to reduce the military’s logistical burdens associated with food transportation.

DARPA said Thursday its Cornucopia program aims to enable food production on a site when demanded, as well as indefinite sustenance dependent on water and energy sufficiency.

The program’s resulting technology would use raw resources to produce microbe-based food for warfighters.

“Cornucopia seeks to produce from air, water and electricity – with minimal supplementation – a range of microbial-origin, nutritious foodstuffs that taste good and offer complete nutrition for military applications ranging from troops in austere locations to civilians and troops during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations,” said Molly Jahn, program manager at DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office.

Cornucopia will explore domesticated microbes for human consumption, tailorability and system demonstrations in austere conditions and humanitarian relief scenarios.

Companies, research laboratories and universities wanting to take part in Cornucopia may submit proposals and input for the program, whose proposers day will occur on Dec. 15th.

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USMC Deploys Air-ot-Ground Missile From Attack Helicopter in Operational Test
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USMC Deploys Air-ot-Ground Missile From Attack Helicopter in Operational Test

The U.S. Marine Corps deployed a Joint Air-to-Ground Missile, built by Lockheed Martin, from an AH-1Z attack helicopter during a recent operational test series held off the Florida coast.

USMC pilots targeted and hit moving boats up to seven kilometers away from Eglin Air Force Base with the use of the missile equipped with a seeker technology, Naval Air Systems Command said Monday.

The JAGM’s seeker consists of semi-active laser guidance and millimeter-wave sensing systems. Marines plans to further test the missile via land-based tests at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

Lockheed won a $66.3 million engineering and manufacturing development contract in August 2015 to provide engineering and manufacturing development services to the program and received Milestone C decision from the Department of Defense in June 2018.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based contractor is tasked with producing, testing and integrating the missile on the Army’s AH-64E Apache and USMC’s AH-1Z Viper.

Military officials expect JAGM to reach the full-rate production phase sometime in 2022.

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Navy Creates New Tech Bridge to Foster Collaboration in North Carolina
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Navy Creates New Tech Bridge to Foster Collaboration in North Carolina

The U.S. Navy has created a new Tech Bridge in Eastern North Carolina (ENC) to foster multi-sector collaboration in the region, DVIDS Hub reported Wednesday.

The ENC Tech Bridge will support collaborative efforts between government, industry and academia to address the technology needs of the Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. 

Fleet Readiness Center East and Craven County partnered to launch the ENC Tech Bridge on Nov. 15th. The new Tech Bridge will initially focus on maintenance, repair and overhaul and additive manufacturing; and presents the opportunity to work with non-traditional organizations.

The Naval Agility Office or NavalX leads the Tech Bridge effort, which aims to globally provide innovative technologies for Sailors and Marines. The program’s ENC entry follows 17 previous Tech Bridges, including ones located in Japan and the U.K.

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DOE Completes, Delivers Initial Life Extension Unit of B61 Bomb; Jill Hruby Quoted
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DOE Completes, Delivers Initial Life Extension Unit of B61 Bomb; Jill Hruby Quoted

The Department of Energy (DOE) has delivered the first production unit of a program that aims to modernize and extend the service life of the B61 nuclear bomb. 

DOE said Thursday its National Nuclear Security Administration finished the B61-12 Life Extension Program‘s FPU on Nov. 23rd. NNSA worked with the U.S. Air Force to deliver the unit after a nine-year timeline of design, development, testing and production efforts.

“With this program, we’re delivering a system to the Department of Defense that improves accuracy and reduces yield with no change in military characteristics, while also improving safety, security and reliability,” said Jill Hruby, NNSA administrator and DOE’s undersecretary for nuclear security.

The nuclear security agency plans to commence B61 LEP’s full-rate production in May 2022 and expect completion by fiscal year 2026. USAF and NATO have been employing the B61 gravity bomb since the late 1960s.

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DOL Announces Contractor Portal to Certify Compliance With Affirmative Action Requirements; Jenny Yang Quoted
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DOL Announces Contractor Portal to Certify Compliance With Affirmative Action Requirements; Jenny Yang Quoted

The Department of Labor will introduce an online portal meant to provide federal contractors and subcontractors a secure method to certify compliance with Affirmative Action Program requirements on an annual basis. 

The Contractor Portal will also allow companies scheduled for compliance assessments to submit to the department’s office of federal contract compliance programs their Affirmative Action Programs, DOL said Thursday.

Affirmative action requirements sought to ensure that covered contractors take certain affirmative measures to provide equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants regardless of their race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity and national origin.

“OFCCP’s new online portal provides a mechanism to promote greater contractor attention to removing barriers to opportunity and evaluating employment practices,” said OFCCP Director Jenny Yang.

The department said contractors under OFCCP’s jurisdiction may register on the web portal starting Feb. 1st, and existing contractors will be required to certify compliance with annual Affirmative Action Program requirements by June 30th. Certification features on the portal can be accessed by March 31st.

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TSA Issues Directives, Additional Guidance on Transport System Cybersecurity
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TSA Issues Directives, Additional Guidance on Transport System Cybersecurity

The Transportation Security Administration has released a pair of directives to bolster cybersecurity of systems and infrastructure within the U.S. surface transportation sector.

Freight and passenger rail operators must create an incident response plan and undergo assessments to identify any system vulnerability, TSA said Thursday.

The agency is also requiring train service providers to appoint a cybersecurity coordinator and inform the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency when they experience a breach within a 24-hour period.

TSA also developed guidance to encourage lower-risk surface transportation owners to voluntarily adopt the new rules and said the agency intends to implement the new requirements in the aviation industry.

In late November, TSA issued a request for information on potential contractors that could help stand up an information sharing and analysis center to produce public transit situational awareness data.

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NSA, CISA Release Part 3 of 5G Security Guidance; Bob Kolasky Quoted
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NSA, CISA Release Part 3 of 5G Security Guidance; Bob Kolasky Quoted

The National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have published the third of four parts in a series of guidance documents that tackle 5G cloud security.

The third part of the 5G Cloud Infrastructures security guidance focuses on preventing unauthorized individuals from accessing sensitive data, NSA said Thursday.

The Enduring Security Framework working group, a public-private partnership led by the two agencies, develops this guidance. The third installment discusses protecting sensitive data via encryption, secure protocols and cryptographic keys.

“As with the previous two parts of this series, CISA encourages the 5G community to review this guidance and take actionable steps to help strengthen the Nation’s 5G cloud infrastructure,” said Bob Kolasky, CISA’s assistant director for the National Risk Management Center.

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